Eastleigh football teams aim for Sakaja Super Cup glory
By Dennis Tarus |
The local teams from Kamukunji will be represented by 20 teams spread over its five wards with each of the teams aiming to clinch the title and with it, claim the lucrative Sh3 million prize money.
It's all systems go as a total of 340 local football teams drawn from the 17 sub-counties in the capital fight it out to be crowned champions of Nairobi in the inaugural Sakaja Super Cup tournament.
The local teams from Kamukunji will be represented by 20 teams spread over its five wards with each of the teams aiming to clinch the title and with it, claim the lucrative Sh3 million prize money.
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The runners-up of the tournament will be awarded Sh2 million while the third-placed team will claim Sh1 million.
The five wards represented by Kamukunji include Eatleigh North, Eastleigh Airbase, Eastleigh South, California and Pumwani.
Only the first two teams across the four pools in Kamukunji will proceed to the next stage of the tournament.
The tournament which started on October 1, will be played out over a gruelling two and a half months across Nairobi's 85 wards with the final being played on December 16.
For Walalah FC, one of the local teams from Eastleigh North playing in the Football Kenya Federation Division II League, the tournament is seen as a chance to showcase their skills among Nairobi's best and optimism is high among their fans and players.
Players from Walalah FC pose for a photo ahead of their Sakaja Super Cup match in Eastleigh, Nairobi on October 7, 2023. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)
"We expect the best. Recently from 2018, teams from Eastleigh have performed exceptionally well despite starting from the bottom," Walalah FC coach Ahmednur Osman told the Eastleigh Voice.
"Today we are at a place where we can compete with the very best. We will aim to win all our matches including the league and cup. We are ready and expect to win this cup."
Part of the action during a Sakaja Super Cup match between Walalah FC and Biafra Kamaliza FC in Eastleigh, Nairobi on October 7, 2023 (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)
Feisal Mohammed, an Eastleigh Youth leader and football coordinator, said that football remains the most popular sport in the area and such tournaments have had a positive impact on youth in the area.
"Football tournaments like the Sakaja Super Cup and Eastleigh Super Cup have kept the youth busy and engaged leading to reduced cases of drug abuse and the decline of criminal gangs in the area," Mohammed told Eastleigh Voice.
During the launch of the tournament Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja pledged support for the youth engaging in sports indicating that during the matches, scouts will be actively on the lookout for emerging talents who will have the opportunity to go for trials abroad.
“Sports has the ability to unite people so let us use this tournament to bring back the spirit of Nairobi where we have no tribal lines. This Super Cup is for all Nairobians,” he said.
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